Embracing Uncertainty: A Path to Growth

"It took me years to learn to acknowledge that regardless of how passionately I believed what I know to be true, I might still be wrong. There is always a chance that I missed out on an important detail, and there is always something more that I don't know. It's not always right—that I know to be true. [...] The Russian Nobel Prize-winning physicist Lev Landau once said, 'Cosmologists are often wrong but never in doubt.' [...] Einstein, brilliant as he was, didn't arrogantly assume ultimate knowledge. He once said, 'In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.'"

- Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy by Mo Gawdat

I received the Portuguese version of this book as a Christmas gift about ten years ago and recently rediscovered the English version in a library. It’s an easy and comforting read filled with valuable insights that challenge us to rethink our life priorities and perspectives.

I was particularly moved by Gawdat's assertion that we need to find logic in our beliefs to move forward with passion and dedication to what we do—even if that means confronting uncomfortable truths about what we previously believed to be true.

We shouldn't blame ourselves, however, for being protective about what we think we know. How could we go on doing what we need to do if we believe it is based on false assumptions? How could someone passionately engage in doing something if she believes it's wrong? Everyone, even wrongdoers, needs somehow to find logic to justify what they do."

Now, applying this perspective to our life and career -

When we define a big goal, the natural next step is to break it down into smaller, actionable tasks. However, as we embark on this journey, external factors often come into play, influencing our path. Suddenly, the “big goal” we initially envisioned may shift, revealing new possibilities and directions we hadn’t anticipated. At this point, you can either feel overwhelmed and give up, or you can recognize that there isn’t just one right path. Instead, multiple routes can lead us to unexpected opportunities—even if it means reassessing what we once believed to be the best.

In embracing this uncertainty, we open ourselves to growth and discovery.